"Connecticut Yankee Goes Overland"

Saw this on Mad Men season 5, episode 1.

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j37 ... af1da8.png

Looks like they've really done their research. The scene was clearly on an NH train in the sixties, with the conductor calling out Stamford. What a nice example of good design, wonder where they found it. Perhaps they made it.

Most TV shows would barely think to put black tape over today's Hyundai ads... Let alone put period-specific and railroad-specific advertising in the shot. But getting NH, CN, and CV right? Really cool.

edit: they didn't change the horns, I just heard a k5LA... None of those on the Shoreline.

The inspiration for the Mad Men poster most likely came from me in a round-a-bout way. There's a Connecticut Yankee Goes Overland brochure from my collection of NHRR advertising material on the NHRHTA web site. No doubt they lifed it, and probably the graphics for all the other fake NHRR travel posters (they've done at least four or five different designs) that have been presented on the show, from material that I put on the NHRHTA web site. You can see the original brochure in the third from the last "image page" at http://www.nhrhta.org. Note, the Connecticut Yankee was actually a freight train that was jointly operated by the NH, CV, and CN during the mid to late 1960s. No complaints here. I'm glad that somebody on the production staff liked the McGinnis NH logo enough to put it into the background of the show. The Don Draper character used to commute by train from upstate New York during the first couple of seasons on what was obviously the New York Central and nobody on the show thought to put anything with the NYC logo in the background.

Marc

Marc, thanks for the great post. I recall Draper rode the Hudson line from Ossining, but there was no mention of NYC or anything of the like.

I've watched a few more episodes, and I've enjoyed them. However, I have noticed the rolling stock on the "commuter train" appears to be big-windowed, air-conditioned, and well-upholstered. NH commuter stock was not exactly the pinnacle of comfort. I would've expected the reality was more like linoleum, ratty seats, and openable windows for cool air.

Tadman wrote:I've watched a few more episodes, and I've enjoyed them. However, I have noticed the rolling stock on the "commuter train" appears to be big-windowed, air-conditioned, and well-upholstered. NH commuter stock was not exactly the pinnacle of comfort. I would've expected the reality was more like linoleum, ratty seats, and openable windows for cool air.

Not too sure about that. Some of the loco-hauled trains from east of Stamford got pretty decent equipment, at least judging from the photos, while the 4400-series "washboard" MUs would have been around 10 years old in Don Draper's day (and I'm sure there are plenty of people on here with actual experience riding the rails in those days that can tell me if I'm wrong.) My impression, both from photos and from growing up in former New Haven commuter territory in the 1970's and '80's, was that things really didn't go to hell until Penn Central and Conrail days.

In the 1960s, all of the equipment the NH used in its New York commuter service was air conditioned except for the remaining heavyweight MUs that were confined to weekday rush hour service west of Stamford. The coaches used on locomotive-haul trains were generally the 8200-series Osgood Bradley lightweights with traditional plush seats, with a few older cars and a smattering of 8600-series stainless steel cars thrown in. The biggest problem I remember was cracked/broken windows due to rock-throwing vandals in the pre-Lexan days, and those were not uncommon. But I wouldn't describe the car interiors as "ratty", just as "well broken in".

Thanks for the input, guys. I think this statement sums up my inaccuracies:

My impression, both from photos and from growing up in former New Haven commuter territory in the 1970's and '80's, was that things really didn't go to hell until Penn Central and Conrail days.

I think I'm confusing PC and New Haven in my mind, since I don't have firsthand knowledge of either operation.

Actually things were at rock bottom at the end of the New Haven. Penn Central inherited a mess and they really were not in a position to improve it at the time of the takeover. I know they cut a lot of trains but the mail went over to other means of tranpsortation and many of the trains went with it. Some former passenger trains remained but only for mail and maybe a little bit of express if that was still around. One thing Penn Central did to improve operations between New York and New Haven was to substitute MU equipment for as much of the standard equipment as possible and the result of that move was less costs and more dependable service. I still believe that McGinnis and Alpert did more damage to the New Haven and its territory than the Penn Central did. They did as much as they could to maintain at least some service while cutting costs whenever and whereever possible. Under Penn Central with state support we got much better commuter service to both Stamford and New Haven. We also got the M-2's, train radios, physical plant improvements and better passenger motive power. Yes there were negative moves too but the overall result of the takeover was saving the New Haven's lines many of which are still with us today. Actually by the time Conrail took over in 1976 big improvements had already taken place and you could not compare things with what they were in the later New Haven days. Once government support came on board the railroad fully cooperated with the states and they tried very hard to set a high standard.
The lines that did not survive Penn Central and/or Conrail were for the most part destined to go because they were no longer needed. One more thing, the HW MUTS did make occasional trips to New Haven in the late 50's and very early 60's. They also worked the Danbury Branch all through the electrified period in the cold weather months because they had two pantographs and in periods of bad icing on the wire both were used.
Penn Central took over the New Haven on January 1, 1969 and a couple of years later the improvements were starting to show and in 1972 the first new M-2's came on board, by this time the service was far better than it was on day one and we had more electric equipment. I doubt if any commuters in the early to mid 70's would have wanted to go back to the New Haven days.
Noel Weaver